Picpoul 2025

The project was created by a small group of growers with a straightforward approach: farm well, intervene less, and let the vineyard speak for itself. The vineyards are farmed organically and biodynamically, focusing on healthy soils, balanced vines and naturally low yields. In the cellar, gentle handling, hand harvesting and minimal intervention allow the wines to reflect their origin rather than a prescribed winemaking style. The region is best known for Picpoul de Pinet, the classic Mediterranean white: bright, crisp and fresh, traditionally paired with oysters from the Étang de Thau. Les Bidules also works with Grenache, producing a red with the same focus on clarity and drinkability. ‘Bidule’, a playful French term akin to ‘thingamajiggy’, reflects the project’s relaxed attitude, while the work in the vineyard remains serious and precise.

The Picpoul is gently pressed over around three hours at low pressure, then fermented with indigenous yeast in stainless steel. It spends six months on fine lees before bottling, with no added sulphur. Organic and biodynamic.

Flavourful Picpoul with Amalfi lemon, grapefruit, green apple, and with fresh sea brine and a mineral edge. Crisp, bright and refreshing, with citrus-led acidity, subtle lees texture and a clean, medium-length finish.

Oysters, prawns, mussels, clams, grilled octopus, ceviche, simply cooked white fish and other shellfish.

Around the Étang de Thau, on the Mediterranean coast, the Languedoc is at its freshest and most maritime. Vineyards sit between the sea and the foothills, with warm, dry days tempered by coastal breezes and the cooling influence of the lagoon. The area is best known for Picpoul de Pinet, a naturally high-acid white variety that thrives in the region’s limestone-rich soils and produces wines with a distinctly saline, citrus-driven character. Further inland, the landscape becomes drier and more rugged, with limestone, clay and ancient alluvial soils supporting Grenache, Cinsault, Carignan and other Mediterranean varieties. Across the region, old vines, low rainfall and strong diurnal shifts can produce wines that combine ripe fruit with surprising freshness and structure.